Eyes On The Prize
by HHHereComesTrouble
Summary: Eva Marie, the newest WWE Diva, has eyes for Paul Levesque, also known as Triple H. As you can probably guess, there is one particular woman in the back who is not okay with this...HHH/Steph.
1. Chapter 1

Holy smokes, why am I starting another story? Please someone tell me, because I honestly have no clue. Don't worry though, this one won't be long at all, just a few chapters, so you don't have to yell at me for getting myself into yet another mess. So this idea came from tonight's episode of Total Divas where Stephanie completely owned Eva Marie and also that interview Eva Marie gave where she said she wanted Triple H to want her. So yeah, hope you enjoy this kind of, and let me know what you think as always. :)

* * *

She knew she wanted to do this.

Sure, Stephanie had heard the rumors initially, because there really were no secrets that remained secrets in this business – and if you didn't believe her, her marriage was all the proof you needed to see – but she thought nothing of the gossip at first, thought it would fade with time just like it always did. She said always because this did happen quite a lot actually, a lot more than she would have preferred it to. All these new girls were the same essentially, so naïve yet daring. Some of them learned quickly that it was best not to be the latter of the two, some learned slower, but they all learned eventually. They all learned that it was best to steer clear of what didn't belong to them, and more importantly, not to try anything with what belonged to her.

But Eva Marie? Eva Marie hadn't learned shit since being here, and from what Stephanie could tell, the girl wasn't looking to be taught.

That didn't mean Stephanie wasn't going to teach her though. In fact, from the minute she heard this bitch was whoring herself all over her husband at one of their tryouts, she wanted to blacken both the girl's eyes. But at the end of the day Stephanie was a professional. Stephanie was an executive in the company, and she didn't let petty things like that bother her too badly because quite frankly, they occurred all the time. Not only was her husband a great-looking guy, but there was just something about him, some kind of charm, that made women instantly fall in love with him. And falling victim to said charm herself some many years ago, well, how was she to get riled up at one over that?

Now she wasn't accusing Eva Marie of being madly in love with Paul or anything, but she definitely…_wanted_ him in some way, shape, or form. Wait, no, Eva wanted _him_ to want _her_, or at least that's the way she had worded it in an interview with WWE's official site. Really, that was all it took for Stephanie to know this girl was stupidly persistent, that she wasn't planning on cutting this shit out anytime soon, and above all else, Stephanie knew in that moment that she would have to take matters into her own hands if this truly didn't stop. Maybe Eva's advances were innocent now, maybe they weren't hurting anyone, but what would happen the day they weren't so innocent and people did get hurt?

That's why this couldn't continue.

That's why when she'd heard about this little Fandango incident earlier today, Stephanie immediately insisted that she be the one to confront Eva Marie, that she be the one to put this…this _child_ in her place once and for all. And she'd never actually met her face to face before, so today would be a first for that. However, it wasn't a first regarding Eva pulling some stupid stunt that would indisputably stain her reputation.

Stephanie had received the call from Jane just before WrestleMania that Eva Marie had blatantly defied orders she was given by dyeing her hair the color of a fucking fire engine rather than blonde like she had been told to. Maybe red did end up suiting her appearance better than blonde, but what if it hadn't? What if it ended up looking like total shit, then what? It was bad enough already that they had Nikki Bella crying to them about employing a Diva that resembled her too much when her twin fucking sister already worked for the company. And now they had this new girl thinking she could march right in here and do as she desired? Jesus, these girls were just too much sometimes. Why couldn't they all be low maintenance and levelheaded like sweet, little AJ Lee?

But pushing all thoughts of the Bellas and AJ aside, Stephanie thought about how much she was looking forward to this, how much it would inwardly satisfy her to serve this dumb bitch with some real talk. That's what set Eva Marie apart from most of the girls actually. It was safe to say that the majority of them were realists, most of them knew how things were dealt with around here, whereas Eva was living in fantasyland – a fantasyland where apparently she was a trained ballroom dancer and could flaunt herself to any guy at all, including one, _married_ Triple H. And happily married, she might add.

Stephanie felt her face grow hot just dwelling on that fact, the fact that one of her employees had a pretty obvious thing for her husband, but who knew, maybe the hot sensation was partly due to the fact she was in such a rush to get where she was going. Still, her strides were graceful as always, and she carried herself in this way that just screamed power. People who were smart didn't mess with Stephanie McMahon. They didn't even test those waters because those waters were deep, and the current in those waters was strong. If you were stupid and dared to test them, you were bound to drown. Stephanie was quite certain that Eva Marie was not a smart human being, and blonde probably would have suited her dimwitted personality more than red, but hey, maybe after this meeting (although it was highly unlikely) she would think differently of her.

"Hey, what's up with you?" she heard a voice say out of seemingly nowhere, and it was a voice she recognized instantly, a voice that made her come to an abrupt halt in her path. She flashed her husband a small smile, sort of breathlessly from speed walking, and went over to where he was casually leaning against a wall going over the script for tonight. "Someone's in a hurry," Paul commented with a smirk. "Looking for me?"

Stephanie shook her head. "Actually, no, I wasn't."

"You weren't? Well, that's kind of a disappointment," he told her, frowning. "But if it's not me you're looking for, who exactly is it that you're knocking people over to get to? Is it Maddox? Because if it's Maddox, I'll have to kick his ass, you know that, right?"

"Ha-ha, you truly are hilarious, honey, but no, it's not Maddox either," Stephanie said, pausing for just a moment. Paul, who picked up on every trivial emotion his wife displayed, scratched at his beard in frustration. Judging by her tone, something was definitely up with her, something definitely was not right, and of course this bothered him. "I actually have to go speak with the new girl…Eva Marie, that's what she goes by, right?"

Even saying the name aloud made her stomach turn.

"Eva Marie?" Paul queried, wrinkling his forehead curiously. "What did she do?"

_More like, what didn't she do,_ Stephanie thought to herself sourly.

"Oh, you didn't hear about her little dancing charade earlier?" Her husband shook his head cluelessly, prompting her to fill him in. "So apparently Eva told Fandango she was a trained dancer and would be his partner during his entrance, and then when they went to rehearse, she pretty much humiliated herself in front of everyone."

"I'm guessing she's not a trained dancer then?"

"She sucks!" Stephanie assured him, adding in a quick eye roll before she resumed speaking. "Honestly, _I_ could probably dance better than her out there, and you know more than anyone how messed up my knees are. Believe me, when I'm through with her, she won't ever pull something like that again, I'm telling you."

"Jeez, I'd really hate to be Eva Marie right now," he muttered. The distance between them was minimal, and she could just feel his hot breath dancing along her skin, delighting her in ways only her husband was capable of. He then lowered his voice to a faint whisper so that what he said next was heard by Stephanie and only Stephanie. "Then again, you are _so_ sexy when you're all fired up like this. I like. I want. Gimme."

"Down, boy," she laughed, playfully shoving him away. She briefly wondered if Eva Marie had ever tried to "playfully" shove him away. Or playfully lure him closer. "Now if you'll excuse me, there is serious business that needs to be taken care of right about now."

"Oh, you know I love it when you put basic bitches in their place, baby."

At that, Stephanie laughed a little harder, and they subsequently parted, heading off in separate directions until they would most likely meet up again later on before the show began. More so than anything, Stephanie actually felt embarrassed on behalf of Eva Marie. She was embarrassed that this twenty-something-year-old legitimately thought she stood a chance with Paul when clearly he was so devoted to his wife – so _exclusively _devoted to his wife and no one else, she should say. And like, not to mention that they had three beautiful children who were living, breathing evidence of their undying love for one another? Oh, bless her. Paul was so disinterested in the bold redhead that her persistency was actually quite pathetic. She could think of no other word for it except that. Pathetic.

Finally, when she reached the room where Eva was awaiting her arrival, Stephanie was overcome by that familiar tingling sensation, that tingling sensation throughout her body that arose every time she was about to unleash hell on someone who sincerely deserved it. This would without a doubt be one of those instances, and she was so sure of it as soon as she entered through the door, as soon as her stern eyes fell upon the lying bitch herself. Every little motion and expression about the redhead told Stephanie that she was fearing for her life right now, as she rightfully should have been.

"Hi, Eva Marie," she greeted her politely, but not overly polite that it came across as misleading or anything. This wasn't going to be a friendly discussion. Shit was about to get serious any second now, and both women in the room were fully aware of this. Only one of them was excited for it though.

"Hi," Eva said softly, "how are you?"

The two women shook hands, and Stephanie forced herself to spit out a phony, "Nice to meet you," though what she was inwardly thinking went something more along the lines of, "Nice to finally meet the whore who's been all up in my husband's grill lately."

Obviously, she didn't say that. She was a professional, she kept reminding herself.

"Nice to meet you," Eva replied.

They both took a seat. Stephanie swallowed hard before parting her lips to speak.

"So you said that you could be Fandango's dancer?" The younger woman nodded slowly. Hesitantly. She was nervous. She was scared. "I mean, I don't even know you, Eva Marie, but you embarrassed yourself, you embarrassed the company, and…this is not okay." Truthfully, this girl looked like she was on the verge of tears, and Stephanie…was…enjoying every minute of it. Intimidation was literally her favorite quality that she'd inherited from her father. Years ago, she never would have imagined it being this great, this whole scaring the shit out of the person sitting across from you thing, but when you chose and selected your enemies wisely, it was one of the best feelings in the world.

"Obviously lying is never…the right way to go," she started softly, her eyes feverishly wandering anywhere and everywhere, almost as if doing that would teleport her out of the spot where she was currently seated. "And this is like…my ultimate dream to be here, and I completely took it on…a whole 'nother level, and I really thought that I could do it…"

"So let me ask you a question," Stephanie stated, basically cutting her off so that if there was any more bullshit Eva planned to throw her away, it would go about unheard and remain forever irrelevant. "Now, here comes Monday Night Raw, and we're live…what…what happens then?"

There was an uneasy, lingering silence.

"No, I know," Eva said to her, wiping at one eye. If you wanted Stephanie's opinion, the tears seemed just as fake as the hair on her head, and it took all the willpower within her to suppress an eye roll. She. Did. Not. Care. What. Eva. Marie. Had. To. Say. "I had nothing – you will not see my face unless it's on a positive...I will...this is just something that I'm so disappointed in myself…this will never happen again."

"I hope not," Stephanie told her. "You won't make it. You'll be gone." She paused, burning a hole through her with her fierce, blue stare one final time. "And you won't come back."


	2. Chapter 2

Number one, I'm sorry for lying about this being a short fic. It probably will not be short. The more I thought about things, the more I realized the story I want to tell will be a lot longer than just a few chapters, and I don't want the plot to sound rushed. I hope you don't hate me for this. Number two, this entire chapter is a flashback, in case you couldn't tell from the italicized text. Number three, thanks for all the feedback on the first chapter, and finally, number four, I hope you enjoy. :)

* * *

_Maybe she just wasn't good enough. Maybe everyone, all her friends and family back home, maybe they were all right when they said that she would never make it, that she was in way over head with this silly dream of hers. This business was all about improvement, all about bettering your technique through repetition, hard work, and persistence, and mostly everyone seemed to be improving at a fairly rapid pace – everyone except for her. It was like, right when she thought she was really starting to grasp a move or a hold, the head trainer would move on to the next move or hold, leaving her more dazed and confused than ever. She felt so lost here. Her frustration was increasing exponentially by the day, and as if things weren't already bad enough as is, today she twisted her ankle running the ropes. Not even while actually wrestling, but doing something as simple as running the ropes._ Running the fucking ropes._ In front of everyone. _Everyone.

_So here Eva Marie was now (long after the others had left), sitting in one of those metal fold-up chairs and icing her swollen ankle which was elevated on another chair. She didn't suck at wrestling, of that she was sure. She just didn't catch on as quickly as the rest. Like, sue her for not being able to flawlessly execute a move two seconds after it was shown to her! She was still new to this. She needed time to practice, time to make mistakes, and an equivalent amount of time to correct those mistakes. But in a world that was so fast-paced where everything was constantly on-the-go, time was such a rare and infrequent thing to have. Most people either got the move or didn't get it, and then there was her who would get it eventually, but it always took a little while to reach that point._

_As she went to adjust the ice on her ankle, she inadvertently knocked the pack off the chair and then quietly cursed it when it hit the floor with a thud._

_"Need a hand with that?"_

_Eva turned her head to where the voice was coming from and smiled seeing that it was Triple H. She'd easily recognized him, for he was pretty much the only guy of his size and stature walking around in a suit. He looked pretty exhausted, but was flashing her a warm smile nonetheless. He retrieved the ice pack from the floor, handed it to her, and sat in one of the chairs nearby. Okay, so maybe not everyone had left the building._

_"Thanks," she told him, kind of surprised that he was being so…friendly. Well, she never had any reason to believe otherwise, but like, you heard things about him, and you heard things about the McMahons in general. Most of the things you heard were far from pleasant._

_"Rough day?" he asked, though the answer was kind of obvious, especially when her eyes automatically flickered to her elevated ankle. "I'm sorry, that was a stupid question. What happened?"_

_"You didn't see?" Triple H shook his head. "That's weird, I thought everyone saw." She paused. "I planted my foot wrong running the ropes. Go on, laugh at me all you want."_

_"Laugh?" He wrinkled his brow, making him look almost perplexed by her command. "Hey, I tore my quad entirely off the bone just planting my foot wrong in a match. I mean, yeah, a quad tear sucks a little bit more than a sprained ankle, but shit happens out there, you know?" Eva nodded. "But if you really want to make it in this business, you've gotta suck it up, wrap it up, go out there, and do it all over again…only ten times better than the time before."_

_"That's easier said than done," she laughed. "I just feel like everyone catches on way faster than I do, and that's really frustrating for me. Like, I always end up getting it in the end, but then you have these girls like, I don't know…JoJo, for example. She'll master a move the second time she tries, and I'm lucky to perfect it by my tenth try. And everything moves so fast, too. By the time I've got it down, the head trainer is already showing everyone how to do some other move, and then I'm just completely…"_

_"Lost?"_

_"Yes, exactly!" Eva exclaimed, clapping her hands together excitedly. She actually…liked talking to Triple H. It was almost as if he knew exactly what she was going through, like he could relate himself, which was comforting beyond words, and besides, getting all this off her chest was already making her relax a little. And then there was the fact that the guy was just to-die-for in the looks department. That on the contrary wasn't helping her relax at all, but it was definitely making this conversation worth her while. "So what should I do…" she began, paused, and finally decided to address him as, "Hunter?"_

_"First of all, call me Paul because – breaking the fourth wall here – that's my real name, and second of all, I could show you how to do a few things on the side…you know, only if you're interested."_

_"I'd like that…Paul," she told him, but his name somehow escaped her lips as a high-pitched giggle, a squeal essentially. Which he definitely noticed. Because he was smiling at her for it. And she was just over here trying not to look like a total idiot as she melted to pieces. Holy shit, that smile. Those eyes. That…whatever it was he hid underneath that suit. She wanted it. She wanted all of it._

_No, wait…no. These thoughts, these indescribable, inexplicable feelings…they had to stop. They had to stop at this very moment because Paul Levesque was her boss, she was just his employee, and most importantly of all, he was fucking _married. _And he wasn't just married to any old woman, but he was married to Vince McMahon's daughter, Stephanie McMahon. Eva had never met Stephanie before, only heard people reference her all the time, and even if she did communicate with Stephanie, the communication was always indirect. Therefore, she didn't know much about her, but what she did know was that once you got on her bad side, there was no crossing back_ over._ Everybody knew that.__ You were there for life, or at least until she fired your ass._

_Which was always right away, unless of course she wanted to make you suffer for your sins first._

_Eva had a feeling that mauling her_ _fuckhot husband__ would qualify as one of those sins._

_But for some reason, even with all these doubts and fears clouding her thoughts, she all of a sudden blurted out, "Well, why don't you show me a few things right now?"_

_"Right now? But what about your…" He'd been pointing to her ankle, but when she practically bounced right out of the chair, his voice trailed off into confused silence._

_"It's feeling a lot better actually. So what do say?"_

_Paul nodded. It was a reluctant nod, but definitely a nod. In all honesty, he was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable around this girl. But he had to keep reminding himself that this was strictly business, that it meant nothing despite the looks she kept giving him every now and then. Hell, maybe he was overreacting. Maybe he was paranoid over nothing. At the end of the day, he really did want to help out the younger talent, and one-on-one help was the best kind of help for obvious reasons. Plus, this wouldn't even be his first time assisting someone one-on-one, so what was the big deal anyways? Nothing, nothing was a big deal. He was just…sleep-deprived, and therefore anxious. Yes, that was it. It just had to be._

_Once they were in the ring, he removed his jacket, draped it over the top rope, and started showing her some of the basic stuff. Eva pretty much knew how to do all the grapples and the holds he was demonstrating, but she still listened attentively…_watched_ attentively. And what a show it was. His pale blue dress shirt clung to his body, and you could just see how muscular he really was underneath it. The top two buttons were left undone, and he'd un-tucked it from his slacks to make moving around less difficult. Holy Christ, she really wished he would have just stripped down to those tiny wrestling trunks for this. He needed to be shirtless so that she could trail her fingertips down his chest and all the way to his…to his what? What in the world was her problem right now? She was finding it hard to even hear what he was saying at some points, for she was so engrossed in his body itself and the way it moved so perfectly when he was executing a move. And, holy hell, whenever he touched her to show her how to do a move, that's when she well and truly lost it. His touch made her feel like she couldn't breathe, like she was choking on air, and that sensation of course made her think of how much she would have preferred to be choking on his…_

_"Eva?"_

_"What?" the brunette managed to get out, startled. Maybe it was for the best that her thoughts ended where they did._

_"I asked if there was anything specific you wanted me to teach you," Paul said to her._

_What she said next just came out all on its own, almost as if the filter between her mouth and brain ceased to exist._

_"I want you to show me the pedigree."_

_"Um…well…okay," he stammered out, not sure what to make of this. "Yeah, okay, sure. So basically, you put your opponent's head between your legs…like this…" And Paul did just that, cringing on the inside because he felt Eva Marie was enjoying this way more than she should have been._

_He was right._

_"Then what?" she asked, biting down on her bottom lip. She could so get used to this location._

_"Then you…" His sentence was left hanging there, and he abruptly let go of her, causing her to stand up straight and wonder why they were stopping. Then she saw someone approaching the ring, a face she didn't recognize whatsoever, and now she had her reason. Well fuck that guy, and fuck Paul for walking over to the ropes so that he could grab the phone being held out for him!_

_She really needed to stop using "fuck" and "Paul" in the same sentence._

_"It's your wife," Eva heard the man say to Paul. Wife. Suddenly that word was becoming more and more irritating to her._

_"Thanks," Paul muttered before getting on the phone. "Hey, Steph." Wife. Steph. Oh, big deal, he probably talked to her all the time. Why did they have to talk at this very second anyways? Unless there was some huge emergency (which it didn't sound like there was), couldn't they wait until later to talk? Preferably a time where she didn't have her head right in the most desirable of places? Talk about inconsiderate. So she just stood there awkwardly, dreading every second of their stupid conversation until she finally heard Paul say, "Love you, too. I'll call you later, Steph."_

_Okay, seriously, what was the point of that? They needed to talk now _and_ later? That sounded horrible and pointless and just plain stupid if you asked her. Frankly, if she were in Stephanie's position, the talking would be kept to a minimum and the touching to a maximum. That was really the only way to go when you had a fine ass husband like Paul Levesque._

_"Sorry about that."_

_Eva smiled sweetly, keeping her annoyance at bay. "Oh, it's no problem. Where were we again?"_

_"Actually," Paul started, glancing at his watch, "I need to be on my way now. I'm already running a little behind schedule, but it was nice talking and working with you, and I hope your ankle heals up fast."_

_Eva wasn't sure what to say, so she said nothing at all. While she'd enjoyed every second of this experience (except for the phone call part), she was left feeling…unsatisfied. Watching him walk away still fully clothed made the feeling all the more intolerable. She wanted more of this man. She wanted him in ways that were wrong and corrupt, but ways that seemed so right and wonderful that they simply couldn't be overlooked. Maybe Paul didn't feel that same way about her, and maybe he didn't return that same feeling of want, but she was surprisingly okay with that._

_Because Eva Marie was going to _make_ Triple H want her._


	3. Chapter 3

Hey, look, a chapter...finally!

* * *

Things in room 404 were pretty tense at the moment.

Why?

The answer was quite easy to explain actually. Eva was reckless. JoJo was practical. Eva was daring, and JoJo was timid. Eva had many sides to her, whereas JoJo had nothing to hide. Eva didn't know what the hell she was doing, and well, truth be told, JoJo didn't know what the hell Eva was doing either. But what she did know was that nothing good could come from this. Absolutely nothing at all.

"We need to talk about this."

Eva censored a groan. _Who are you, my mother?_ "Yeah, totally. We totally do need to talk about this."

"Good, because you…"

"Hey, do you think we should order room service?" the redhead cut in, and JoJo's voice trailed off into silence, a look of pure irritation now washing over her typically warm features. "I'm starving," Eva blurted out. "I could really go for…"

_Triple H_, she thought to herself pensively.

"Eva, we're talking about what happened with Fandango. Food can wait. You seriously can't pull anything else like this or you'll be gone before you know it…like, you do realize that, don't you? That's two strikes already, and once Stephanie McMahon is involved…"

"Spare me the whole 'Stephanie can end my career' spiel, JoJo," the redhead told her friend, rolling her eyes dismissively as she turned the page of her magazine. Pursing her lips, she peered over to the other bed and noticed her roommate frowning at her. "Look, I'm well aware of what the woman is capable of, thank you very much, and quite honestly…I'm not intimidated by her whatsoever."

Incredulously, JoJo glared at her.

Okay, so maybe that was a lie.

In all truthfulness, Eva Marie had been scared shitless earlier today while sitting across from the head honcho's daughter – her very fate wavering in that woman's hands at the time. She didn't know what to expect, and quite frankly, she didn't even want to consider the possibilities. Stephanie McMahon just possessed this bizarre, intimidating aura that loomed in her proximity when she walked, when she talked, and when she glared at you with the most vicious, vengeful eyes that Eva had witnessed for herself this afternoon. It was junior high all over again. Stephanie was the omnipotent, spiteful principal, and Eva the fearful, young girl cowering in her presence. It was terrifying to say the least, and sure, she knew she'd done wrong by lying about being able to dance when she clearly couldn't dance, but Stephanie was staring her down as if she'd committed a crime far worse than that – as if she'd murdered one of her children or something. It all seemed really out of the ordinary, really uncalled for in her opinion. But then Eva finally had the chance to reflect on what had occurred today, and she got thinking about things. Other things. And those things made her realize that Stephanie's behavior really wasn't out of the ordinary or uncalled for by any means. All the pieces of the puzzle started to mold and mesh together. Everything was beginning to make sense.

Someway, somehow, Stephanie knew about her undue infatuation with Paul. She knew about the incident where Eva had requested he demonstrate the pedigree on her. She knew that Eva had ended up way too close to territory that belonged to Stephanie and no one else. Thinking back to it, maybe Eva should have ensured that there weren't others still lingering around the facility because as she could presume now, there probably were. There had to be. But she had been so wrapped up in Paul (and really, who could blame her given that the guy was sex on legs?) that she had failed to notice other unfamiliar faces passing by – other faces that had been watching them, without a doubt. And that was foolish on her part because obviously people who saw things talked. They talked, and they talked, and they talked, and eventually word made its way around to Stephanie, and well, the rest of the blanks were pretty simple to fill in on your own.

But the thing was, Eva Marie was already in too deep. She'd already fallen into this abyss of obsession, this chasm of desire, and there wasn't any way to switch her feelings on and off. There was only acceptance. She had to accept that these feelings wouldn't vanish anytime soon. She had to accept that Paul Levesque was her boss and nothing more. But most of all, she had to accept that he belonged to someone else. She had to _accept_ all of these things, but by no means did she have to like any of them. She would get Paul Levesque. She always got what she wanted, no matter the obstacles placed in her path to triumph. And that was all Stephanie McMahon was to her.

An obstacle.

"Okay, all I'm saying is try to be less impulsive around here if you plan on sticking around." JoJo's final piece of advice broke Eva from her thoughts and likewise broke the long silence amongst the pair. Eva stifled a snide remark because last time she checked, she didn't take orders from petty nineteen-year-olds. Still, she faked a smile as she spoke and even felt a bit uneasy when JoJo's warning reverberated in her head ominously.

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks."

* * *

Stephanie emitted a pleased sigh as she lowered herself into the water. Every bit of stress that had consumed her not too long ago was now currently at bay, totally forgotten and irrelevant as she reveled in the feel of the warmth that encompassed her. She slowly dipped her head back until the warm water reached her hairline, causing another sigh to fall from her lips, only this one lasted longer than the first. Honestly, this was just what she needed tonight, a little time to herself, a little time to unwind after another grueling day of working because unfortunately working including reprimanding unruly employees. And some of these unruly employees proved themselves to be more than smitten with her husband, which was annoying for reasons that were obvious. Okay, well maybe just one employee in particular matched the aforementioned description, but still. It was annoying.

Stephanie wasn't going to think about that though, not right now anyways. She was going to relax because if anyone deserved that much, it was her. When it boiled down to it, she was fatigued more than anything else. Life didn't slow down for anyone, not even for a working mom of three who was constantly on the road now that her kids were finished with school for the summer. Every week it was the same routine. She would take the girls to RAW on Monday, then they'd fly back home, and when she was home she was either working, working out, or spending time with her family – Stephanie's palpable favorite. Eating occurred in between and sleep happened when time permitted it. So to put it simply, downtime was crucial in the world she lived in and she wasn't about to let this rare opportunity slip between her fingers because she was fretting over some imprudent redhead that wanted to – _nope_, she wasn't even going to go there. Because Eva Marie was not worth it. Nope, nope, nope. Not worth it at all.

"Steph?"

Virtually jumping out of her own skin at the voice, she let out a troubled shriek and her thoughts dispersed instantaneously. She blinked a few times, breathlessly, a meager attempt to regain composure.

"Oh…hi," she finally managed to get out seeing that it was her husband who had entered the bathroom. He clicked the door shut behind him and offered her a small, apologetic smile from across the room. Paul then padded over to the tub and kneeled down beside it, causing Stephanie to flash him a small smile of her own.

"Sorry. I knocked, but when you didn't say anything, I thought maybe you were drowning in here." Stephanie giggled at the explanation and raised her eyebrows at him.

"And what were you planning to do if I was?"

Leaning over the edge of the tub, Paul lifted his hand up to her cheek so he could cup it in his palm and whispered, "Maybe this," before pressing his lips to hers gently. A faint moan was her natural response as their mouths touched for a few brief seconds, but she was left unsatisfied and craving more when he pulled away. "Or maybe this," he mumbled this time against her neck, trailing his lips slowly down the column of her throat.

"I mean, I could be wrong," Stephanie began, laughing, "but I'm pretty sure this isn't how you save someone who's drowning and on the verge of dying."

"It isn't?" Paul drew his mouth from her skin, wrinkled his forehead, and tucked a wet strand behind her ear so that her face was fully in view. His wife really was beautiful beyond words, and even now in her most natural state, he questioned how the hell he'd gotten so lucky. Her eyes would seriously be the death of him someday, maybe even today. "Then tell me how to do this the right way."

"Well…" She narrowed her eyes at the jeans and white t-shirt he currently had on and clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "First of all, you're wearing _way_ too many clothes."

"That makes one of us, honey," he told her, winking as he made his way to his feet. That remark made Stephanie purse her lips and sink down lower into the tub. He started lifting his shirt up, causing his exposed abdominal muscles to ripple as he moved, but he stopped the motion within seconds and looked over at his wife. The tiniest of smirks adorned his face as he spoke up. "Do you want me to make this like a striptease?"

"As long as there's more stripping than teasing. I'm impatient," she said to him.

"Oh, believe me…I know."

And with those words uttered, he playfully tossed the t-shirt that was no longer needed in the direction of his wife. It landed in the water with a profound splash, and Stephanie grabbed the bunched up material in a haste, but not before it had been fully submerged and soaked. She frowned at her husband who was slowly unbuttoning his jeans and not really concentrating on anything other than getting out of his clothes. Then she frowned at the t-shirt she held above water which was now significantly heavier. And wetter.

"Paul," she whined, "you got it all wet!"

"Baby," he addressed her, pausing as he slid his pants down and let them drop to his ankles. Stephanie's eyes widened considerably and she swallowed hard as they migrated to the boxers he was still wearing. For now. "I'll be getting something wet tonight, but let me assure you…it's not the shirt." Stephanie felt a sudden rush of heat swarm to her face. She took him in, slowly but surely, and she couldn't help but yearn for this man even more just seeing the physical reaction she elicited from him. He was so hard for her that he was about to burst out of the garment barely containing him. He needed this very much, needed her very much, just as she did him. And truth be told, Eva Marie was the last thing on her mind right now. "So is this better?"

"Hmmm?" Stephanie asked, using every ounce of self-control she could muster to keep her gaze on his face. And as expected, it was an expression of pure amusement plastered on forenamed face.

"You said I was wearing too many clothes, so I wanted to know if this…" He gestured to his more than impressive body and smirked slightly. "…better suited your needs?"

"Almost," she affirmed.

"Almost?" Paul cocked his head to the side in mock confusion.

Stephanie pointed to his boxers.

"Take them off," she all but hissed.

"I have a better idea." Paul stepped forward, his voice hardly above a low growl. He threaded his fingers through her wet strands, forcing Stephanie to look up at him. His eyes were dark and his tone stern. "You take them off."

He hadn't asked her; he had instructed her, and now she would comply with his request. And then some. Slipping her fingers beneath the waistband of the garment, she pulled it down his thick thighs, down past his knees, and eventually they fell to the floor on their own. Paul stepped out of them, wetting his lower lip to ready himself for this, but before it even registered in his head what was happening, he felt a pair of eager lips enclose around his length.

"Fuck, Steph," he seethed through clenched teeth as his wife pumped him further and further into her mouth. Her pace was slow and steady as she started at the head and worked her way to the base, but it wasn't long before she found herself picking things up and even moaning a little when he lightly tugged at her hair. She could tell from his soft grunts and the way he kept bucking his hips against her face that he was enjoying every bit of this, that he truly needed something like this. That's why she was genuinely surprised when she heard him whisper, "Stop." And immediately, she backed away.

"What's wrong?" She was a little out of breath, but her eyes displayed candid concern.

"Nothing," Paul assured her before stepping into the tub one foot at a time. He sat down, felt the water come up almost to his shoulders, and pulled a still perplexed Stephanie onto his lap so that she was now straddling him. He touched her cheek affectionately. "I just need you too much right now."

He ruined any chance of her saying something in response when he pulled her into him for a passionate kiss, the kind where he was desperate to taste her in every way possible. Her arms wrapped around his neck naturally, while his hands found her breasts and gave them a gentle squeeze. Stephanie whimpered into his mouth when he ran one of his thumbs firmly over her erect nipple, for she loved nothing more than when he was aggressive with her like this. She craved it, craved it so much, and just feeling how hard he was against her stomach made her need him inside of her this very second. It felt like forever since they'd had alone time like this, just the two of them, but then she remembered where they were and recalled that they weren't exactly alone.

"Baby…the…kids," she breathed out during those short moments that their mouths were severed.

"Asleep," was his automatic reply.

"But…should…we…check?"

Paul broke the kiss indefinitely. "_Now _you decide to worry about these things?" he snickered.

"I…um…" She paused. "You're right, they're probably fine. I'm just...I'm just being stupid. Now where were we?" She smirked at him and trailed her hand down his bicep. "Oh, and feel free to do that thing with your tongue again that you were doing just a minute ago. Mmmm, I liked."

"Well in that case…"

His lips had barely reached hers when...

_Knock, knock, knock._

"Are you kidding me?" he grumbled below his breath, agitated.

"Don't answer it."

_Knock, knock, knock._

Paul sighed and wondered who the fuck was banging down their door at this late hour – because whoever it was would certainly be receiving an earful from him in just a matter of moments. "I'll go take care of it," he said to his wife, wrapping one of the fluffy, white towels around his waist as he stepped out of the water. Stephanie frowned. The tub felt big and empty when she wasn't in her husband's embrace, not to mention the fact that he'd already gotten her all hot and bothered only to leave her sitting here unfulfilled. This had better be an emergency, dammit. Otherwise she would _personally_ give this idiot a piece of her mind.

"Be quick, honey."

"Oh, I plan to," he promised her with a wink.

"I'll be waiting."

"Well, you won't be waiting long."

Stephanie giggled and most likely blushed as she watched her husband vanish behind the bathroom door. Until he returned, she would simply close her eyes and enjoy a few relaxing moments to herself…

"Daddy, what's going on?" a weary voice said. Paul was surprised, sure, but not at all spooked when he saw little Vaughn standing in the dark hallway. He switched on a dim light. A pink teddy bear dangled from her one hand, and with the other, she rubbed at her tired eyes. "I heard a noise, and…and it waked me up," she told him softly.

"Shhh, it's okay, sweetie," he insisted, holding onto his towel as he leaned down to brush blonde strands away from her face. He pressed his lips to her forehead for a brief moment. "There's just someone at the door."

"Why are you all wet, Daddy? Where are your clothes?"

"I…um…I…took a shower," he lied.

"Oh."

Paul felt his face grow hot as she murmured the word innocently, but the small child seemed satisfied enough with his answer much to his relief and didn't interrogate him any further. Thankfully. The _last_ thing he wanted to do was explain to a two-year-old the types of activities he got up to with her mother while she and her sisters were asleep. He reached out for the door, started to turn the knob, but quickly glanced back at Vaughn.

"Wait right there, kiddo. I'll go tuck you back in after I…" Absently, his eyes flickered to the doorway, causing him to lose his train of thought when he saw who was standing there. His jaw dropped slightly, and he blinked a few times disbelievingly. "Eva? What – what are you doing here?"

Paul gripped his towel a little tighter.

"I…um…wanted to run something by you…about my...um…character," she stammered out nervously, and she was trying _so_ hard not to let her eyes travel down south. And God, was that difficult. The guy was practically naked, and this time there wasn't a dress shirt concealing his muscular frame, and beads of moisture, they were dripping down his tanned skin, and…and there was a _child_ standing behind him. Fuck. Eva's vibrantly colored lips fell into a frown. "Is now a bad time?"

"Little bit," Paul laughed, awkwardly.

"I'm sorry. We can discuss it tomorrow though?"

He swallowed uneasily, wondering if his wife could hear them right now. "Yeah…sure. Just come find me at the tapings, yeah. I'll be around."

"Awesome, thanks!"

And with that, he bid her a goodbye and a goodnight before closing and locking the door, grateful for that conversation to be over. Now he could put Vaughn back to bed and then – his favorite part – return to his wife.

"Okay, munchkin, ready to go?" he asked the little one as he promptly scooped her up into his arms.

"Uh-huh," she mumbled into his shoulder. "Was that your friend, Daddy?"

"No," Paul replied all too quickly. "She's just somebody that works for Mommy and me."

"She's pretty," Vaughn commented, yawning.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"But not as pretty as Mommy."

He chuckled. "Now I don't think there's anyone as pretty as Mommy, do you?"

"Nope!" the little girl told him, shaking her head enthusiastically. "She's the prettiest ever."

A simple, content smile remained on Paul's face as he carried his daughter back to bed, tucked her in, kissed her goodnight, and then finally headed back to the bathroom, feeling the need for the woman in there arise all over again. He was cautious when opening and closing the door, not wanting yet _another_ one of their kids to stir out of their sleep, but when he saw his wife in the tub smirking at him, all thoughts of being cautious subsided.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

She stayed quiet for a few seconds, staring him down with that torturous stare of hers.

"Because you took too long," she eventually whined, pouting at him. Paul rolled his eyes as he made his way over to her. "So who was at the door?"

The dreaded question.

Paul hadn't planned on lying to her. In fact, he had no problem telling her the truth. She was his wife, he had nothing to hide from her, and honestly, she had a right to know that one of their employees had dropped by for _business_ purposes. Yet for whatever reason, his plan to tell her the truth…well, it didn't quite go as planned. Kneeling down next to the tub, he pressed a tender peck to her lips and pulled back the slightest bit so that he could reluctantly whisper:

"Nobody. Just – just someone looking for a different room." Stephanie smiled. "Now where did we leave off?"


End file.
